1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a frying pan, and more particularly to a frying pan, which includes a packing installed on a contact surface between first and second containers having a heat surface respectively, and a control unit for controlling internal pressure and moisture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A roasting device, generally called as a frying pan, has an open top used to roast fishes or meat such as a fresh fish or raw meat (hereinafter, referred as meat). When cooking meat with such a roasting device, liquid such as fat or water drop gets spattered out of the open top or spreads out indoors. Such fat or water drops may cause a dirty kitchen and an odor impregnated as well as low thermal efficiency. In particular, this spattering of fat or water drops makes moisture of a fish dispersed outside. Due to dispersion of the moisture, nutritious substances are destroyed, and the inside fresh of the roasted fish is not soft and gets dried fast as the time goes.
To prevent such problems, a cover such as a lid is used. However, the cover should be open for the purpose of turning over the meat, which also causes same problems.
In order to solve the above problems, there has been proposed a roasting device, when may roast meat in a closed state without turning over the meat, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional frying pan in an open state and FIG. 2 is a section view showing the frying pan of FIG. 2 in a closed state. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional frying pan includes a first container 1a, a second container 1b, a pivot pin 5 connecting the first and second containers 1a, 1b, and handles 3a, 3b mounted to the first and second container 1a, 1b, respectively.
In such a configuration, the first container 1a has a base 8a and a sidewall 9a perpendicular to the base 8a to form a first space 7a. An edge of the first space 7a has a round portion 11a. The second container 1b has a base 8b and a sidewall 9b perpendicular to the base 8b to form a second space 7b, similar to the first container 1a. An edge of the second space 7b also has a round portion 11b. Also, a bottom surface 15a of the base 8a or a bottom surface 15b of the base 8b is in contact with a heat source, both of which can be used at once.
The first and second containers 1a, 1b constructed as above have a sealed structure, in which a contact surface 13a formed at an upper portion of the sidewall 9a and a contact surface 13b formed at an upper portion of the sidewall 9b are shut tightly.
The pivot pin 5 connects hinges 17a, 17b formed at the first and second containers 1a, 1b and pivots for opening of the first container 1a or the second container 1b. At the hinge 17a or 17b, a stopper 19 is formed to maintain a rotation angle of the opened first or second container 1a, 1b within a range of 90xc2x0 or 180xc2x0.
However, such a conventional frying pan has problems as follows.
First, because the contact surface 13a of the first container 1a and the contact surface 13b of the second container 1b are configured to come in touch, internal excessive pressure is discharged through all area between the contact surfaces 13a, 13b, so lowering the internal pressure. Therefore, an area used for discharging is so enlarged that more internal moisture may be extracted than required. Therefore, meat cooked in the frying pan does not contain sufficient moisture. In addition, sudden discharge of the pressure causes heat loss, which may lower heat efficiency.
Second, because of the round portion 11a or 11b formed at the first space 7a or the second space 7b, liquid in the first or second space 7a or 7b may flow down when the first or second container 7a or 7b is opened. Such liquid may fall down on a kitchen floor through a side edge near the hinge 17a or 17b without being collected.
The present invention is designed to solve the above problems of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a frying pan, which may uniformly disperse heat applied to meat and make sufficient moisture contained in the meat for the purpose of economizing on electric power, softening the meat and extending a term of preservation of the roasted meat.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a frying pan having first and second containers, which are combined each other at one ends and have a handle mounted at the other ends, includes a concave groove formed on a contact surface of any of the first and second containers; and a packing mounted in the concave groove.
The frying pan may also includes a control unit for controlling internal pressure and moisture in the first and second containers, the control means being mounted at any of the first and second containers.
The control unit can be either a hole formed at a sidewall of any of the first and second containers or a groove formed on a contact surface opposite to the contact surface where the concave groove is formed.
Preferably, a protruded rim is formed on a contact surface opposite to the contact surface where the concave groove is formed.
Also, a liquid collecting portion may be formed on any of the first and second containers.